With a late December release and notable cast, there’s a lot of Oscar buzz last month surrounding the latest film from director Tim Burton (Frankenweenie, Big Fish, Ed Wood). Sometimes this a good thing, but occasionally it can mislead viewers. Truthfully, Big Eyes doesn’t seem like the type of movie to nab awards. Yet that doesn’t mean that it isn’t strong or effective. It’s an enjoyably peculiar and eccentric take on a bizarre true life story. So while those expecting a by-the-numbers, straight-laced Oscar bait drama may come out confused or disappointed, those with a taste for something a little more surreal should find it to their liking.
Set in the sexist, male-dominated world of the 1960s, Margaret Keane (Amy Adams) struggles to survive as an artist after divorcing her husband. One day she meets fellow painter Walter (Christoph Waltz). He’s a charismatic and friendly but narcissistic salesman obsessed with self-promotion. While trying to promote their works in a club, a wealthy patron becomes fascinated with Margaret’s oddball paintings. An elaborate and deceitful plot begins that strains the Keane’s relationship and causes ongoing conflict for decades to come.
A theme of the movie is the exploration of the era’s mistreatment of woman and it does so very successfully. Adams is excellent as the meek and timid Margaret, who soon finds herself in over her head with little in the way of options. Walter is horrifically patronizing to her and as their success grows, so does his ego. His incredible delusions make for an alternately fascinating and frightening character study as we watch a man suddenly start to believe his own baloney.
Waltz milks the role for all its worth and plays the character in a broad manner that at times emphasizes the absurdity of the situation over the drama. This approach will strike some as strange, but it does emphasize the bizarreness of the tale and keeps events from feeling too heavy-handed. And while it may seem over-the-top, after doing a bit of research on the subject, it seems some of his behavior isn’t as exaggerated as one might think.
As mentioned, despite some darker moments there is a great deal of humor. This includes Walter’s attempts to convince the media and critics that his portraits of little girls and tabby cats are an expression of his own deep post-war trauma. And there are some very amusing supporting turns from a vociferous critic (Terrence Stamp) and an consistently baffled gallery owner (Jason Schwartzman) who can’t fathom the public’s fascination with Keane’s work.
The photography by Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie, Across the Universe) is so bright and colorful that it almost pops off of the screen on numerous occasions. He also employs some fun visual trickery in the storytelling. One example comes when a depressed and anxious Margaret walks around town and into a supermarket. While there, she perceives the shoppers and people around with giant, saucer-eyes.
The best way to describe Big Eyes is like a quirky episode of Mad Men with a dark streak of humor. This is an interesting tale with an admirable message that is told in a unique manner. It won’t appeal to everyone and may even frustrate some viewers, but overall it worked for me. It’s a strange little film, but given the subject matter why would anyone expect a standard drama?